Spring spreader for vehicle springs



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refrar GOTTLIEB L. E. KLINGBEIL, OF OMAHA7k NEBRASKA.

SPRING SPREADER FOR VEHICLE SPRINGS.

Application ledkVi'arch 7, 1923. Serial No. 623,508.

To all whom t may concerny Be it known that Gorrnrnn L. E. KLING- BEIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of louglas and State of Nebraska, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring'preaders for Vehicle Springs, of which the following is a specification.

. Thisinvention relates to spring spreaders for vehicle springs and more particularly for automobile springs. lt isa well known fact that vehicles` and particularly automobiles are rendered easy riding. and many` objectionable squeaks are `eliminated if the springs are properly lubricated from time to time. However. this work frcquently neglected by the owner of the automobile because of the difficulty of separating the leaves of the springs. For the same reason the cost of having this vwork done at a garage is considerable. The object of the present invention is to provide a spring spreader constructed in such manner that by a single movement of an operating handle all of the leaves of a spring will be separated simultaneously and automatically held in such separated condition during the time that they are being lubricated or otherwise worked upon. f f

A spring spreader possessing .the foregoing characteristics is illustrated in my' copending applications l Serialy 586.775 and 586.776 filed on the'7th dayof September, 1922, and Vthe present application is intended to cover vcertain improvef ments in the construction illustrated 1n the foregoing application. Y

These improvements relate to the following features of the invention: f

A-A'n improved manner of supporting the wedge assembly;

' B-An improved Vway of adjusting. theV lateral tilting of they-standards soV that .finer possi- Y Y n imparted tothe shaft 12 by the application ofthe proper tool to the angularhead 14 of adjustment may bel secured thanwas ble with the old construction; and

C-Means for mounting the lower endsv of the standards for movement ,towardand from each other.

In other words the pivots upon which the standards swing are mounted for bodily a-djustment toward and from each other to adapt the device to take care of springs which vary widelr in width, this4 feature rendering it possilil widely varying springs while at the same time it brings the standards in positions of V6 is mounted.

ards 8 and 9 are pivoted in the tilting block Numbers e to take care of such substantial parallelism with each other when their upper ends are moved toward each other in separating the leaves of a spring.

Further objects `and advantages' of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

. In the accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 `is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section ofV a spring spreader constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the upper part of one of the standards of the spring spreader; and Fig. 3V is an end view of the vbase. Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figuresy of the drawing. l'

The present device like the device shown in my copending application above referred to comprises a base 5 in which a tilting block Substantially vertical standby pivots 51 and 52. The upper ends of these standards are moved toward and from eachother by a self-locking mechanism which consists Yof a transverse shaft 12 mounted in upstanding portions I13A of thetilting block 6 andy provided with an angular end 14 for the reception Vof a handle or other suitable tool by which a partial turnotally connected at 18 and 19, respectively. The outer ends of these bent links are. piv- .otally connect-ed atf20and 21 to'the'lowerr ends ofy levers 22 'and .23. AThese levers, in

` turn,fare pivotally connected at2l and 25fto the standards and said levers at their upperA extremities are pivotally connected at 26 and 27 to the cross links -28 and 29, respectively.

The link 29-is pivotally connected at v"30 to the standard9 and the link29 is pivotally connected at 31 tothe standard 8. 'Thus it willbeseenthat if a turning movement is saidvshaft and the bent llinks 16 and 17 be thrown to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 the standardswill be forcibly moved toward each other, due to the levers 22 and 23 acting directly upon the standards at" bly together due to the fact that with the parts'in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 a line drawn from pivot point 19 to pivot point 21 lies below .the center oftheshatt 12. In otherl words that portion of the crank 15 which acts upon the link 17 has been moved to past center position and the same is truc with respect to link 16 and that part ofthe crank which acts upon it. The upper portions of the standards are slotted, as indicated at for 'the reception of wedge semblies, said wedge assemblies'beingl bodily insertible in the upper portions ot the standards as units.

The purpose oi. arranging the parts inthe manner described is to renderiit possible to easily and quickly place dierent ywedge assemblies in position according to the size, width and thickness oit the springs which are` to be acted upon. Cars of many different makes are brought to public ygarages to have their springs lubricated. Thus it is necessary to provide, in an article of this nature, means for readily adapting it to take care of the different sizes of springs.

' To :this end I provide the wedge assemblies -consisting or" bolts 36.

ings'45formed in the standards.

These bolts .pass through elongated openings 38 formed ina plurality of wedge elements 39.

In my copending application referred to, plates 42 through which the 'bolts 36 pass merely rested upon the upper ends of the standards. In the present construction, I employ corresponding .plates 42 but I notch these plates-at their `forward corners, as indicated at 42', and extend thevfroiitcorner portionsA of the standards upwardly into said notched portions as -at 42" so that an interlockingv engagement between the plates 42 and theV .standards is'brought about. The wedge elements 39 are proyided with shouln dersV 43 which rest against the front `taces of the portions of the standards V.which lie upon .opposite sides of the slotted `portions thereof V'and which take the rearward thrust of these wedge elements and relieve the 'bolts of this strain. vThelower ends of ythe bolts arelreduced, as indicated at 44 to enter open- A plat@ 46 having a rounded upper fface 46a is mounted upon the lower portion of each of 'thefbolts and the rounding of the upper 'face of :this plate facilitates tipping movement of the wedge elements as they'iindiv'idually seek to come .to a 'position of rest with their pointed inner ends engaged in the Agrooves between the leaves of the Ysprings -tofbe spread. I preferably dispose a spring 48 between plate 46 and the vbottom of the 'biurcated portion ofV the standards. By thrustingbodi'ly downward upon `the top .ot these bolts the group of `lwedges may be given a limited vertical 4movement as a whole to brling about a coarse adjustment of the vertical position of the several wedge eleinents. Capability ot the wedge elements of individual movement permits the several wedge velements to seek a position of rest-Y with their pointed inner ends engaging in the grooves between the leaves ot the springs as -hereiiibeifore stated.

the outer-ends of the bolts are threaded, as

indicated at 55 tor the reception or lock nuts 56 and 57. rlhese lock nuts lie upon opposite sides ot upwardly projecting portions 58 of the base 5. These lock nuts serve to lock the pivots 51 and 52 'in their adjusted position longitudinally of the block 6 and to lock the standards in lateral tilting position after theyv 'have been adjusted to the particular inclination of the spring upon which the device is being used. I employ a stud 59 which is carried by an upstanding portion 60 of the block 6. 'This stud `.moves in an arcuate slot 61 of an upstanding end 62 ofthe base'5 and is adapted to be 'bound in varying 1positions of adjustment iin the -`rleaves of the springs simultaneously. This saves a great deal o't time andwork tand in addition assures that a thorough job of lubricatingthe springs maybe performed.

It 'is tto `rbe understood that "theinvention is wnot limited 'to-the precise construction lset forth but that it includes within its ipurview what/ever changes fairly come 'within' either the terms or the spiritof theappended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. kIn a device of the character described comprising a base, a pair of standards pivotued thereon for swinging movement toward and i'rom each other, means for forcibly moving said standards toward each other, spring leaf spreading means carried by said standards, longitudine ly disposed bolts engaged with the pivots ot said standards and means for adjusting said bolts longitudinally with respect to the base.

2. A device of the character described base under the action of said nuts.

3. A device or the character described consisting of a base comprising a tilting block; means for holding said bloclr in varying positions of lateral tilting with respect to said block,` standards having their lower ends pivoted in the tilting block and means ior adjusting the pivots of said standards in said block and longitudinally of the bloc-lr, said means comprising bolts engaged with the pivots of the standards and means for adjusting said bolts longitudinally With respect to the base.

4. A structure as recited in claim 8 Wherein the means foradjusting the lateral tilty ing of the tilting block comprises a stud, and anupstanding member upon the base having an arcuate slot in Which said stud travels yand a binding element upon the stud.

5. A device of the character describedA comprising a base having upstanding members therein, a tilting block, bolts having portions extending into said blocks and passingfthrough said Abloclr and through said upstanding members to thereby constitute trunnions for the block, means for adjusting the'bolts longitudinally and means for engaging said bolts with the pivotsof the standards.

6. A structure as recited in claim l5 in combination With lock nuts upon said bolts and upstanding members upon the base with which said lock nuts are adapted to engage. 7. A device kor the character described comprising a pair of standards, Wedge assembliesfcomprising vertical bolts and plates through which said bolts pass and means constituting interlocking elements between the plates `and the opposite sides of said Y standards.

8. A device of the character described comprising a pair of standards each of which is slotted from front to rear at its upper end to constitute a part open front and rear, Wedge assemblies seated in said slotted parts and comprising vertical bolts, plates through which said bolts pass, said plates having their forward corners notched out and members upon the opposite sides of said standards projecting into said notched out portions of the plates- In testimony whereof he atliXes his signature in the presence of tvvo Witnesses.

Y GOTTLIEB L. E. KLINGBEIL.

Witnesses: y

IsLEA R. WHEELER, IDA SHAF'mN. 

